Central Region of the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) was formed in Ottawa, Ontario in 1964 under the direction of Mike Bolton. By 1968, Central Region was housed in City Centre in a building shared with the Polar Continental Shelf Project of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.

In the Department’s program to combine multidisciplinary talent, that is the integration of hydrography and marine science specialists (hydrographers, oceanographers and marine geo-scientists) in a shared building, plans were formulated to relocate Central Region to Burlington, Ontario in 1969. Another potential site was Kingston; Ontario but the available building site and sufficient wharfage were not adequate in size.

St. Lawrence River, Trois Rivieres to Quebec City

Chuck Leadman

Gerry Wade

Bob Golding

Ron Logan

Trent Severn Waterway

H-I-C A. Quirk

M. Kelly, D. Nesbitt, R. Moulton, G. Goldsteen, J. Statham, B. Eidsforth, B. Waldock (electronics), 2 students

Lake-of-the-Woods

H-I-C B. Wright

E. Waugh, K. Daeschel, G. Macdonald, V. Crowley, R. Treciokas, G. Grummel (electronics), 2 students

Georgian Bay

H-I-C E. Brown

P. Richards, J. McCarthy, E. Thompson, K. Hipkin, W. Silvey, M. Grant, 2 students

St. Lawrence River

H-I-C J.I. Robichaud

N. Bohatyretz, P. Page, N. Stuifbergen, L. Lasnier, P. Dal Bianco

Ottawa River

H-I-C A. Rogers

G. Wade, M. Casey, R. Chapeskie, J. Wilson, J. Kean, 3 students

Revisory

H-I-C R. Marshall

1. Curtis

Polar Continental Shelf Project

H-I-C G. Yeaton

H. Pulkkinen, P. Davies, R. Mahaffy

Rotation

2. Leadman, F. Hall, R. Courtnage, J. O’Shea, N. Anderson, R. Golding, B. Macdonald

1969

Lower St. Lawrence River

H-I-C A. Kerr

N. Stuifbergen

Batiscan

H-I-C J.I Robichaud

G. Goldsteen

Rideau River

H-I-C R. Golding

E. Thompson

Lake-of-the-Woods

H-I-C C. Leadman

3. Nesbitt

Upper Ottawa River

H-I-C G. Wade

J. Statham

Revisory

H-I-C R. Marshall

R. Moulton

Navigational Ranges

H-I-C J. O’Shea

J. Kean

PCSP

H-I-C G. Yeaton

H. Pulkinnen

Rotation – A. Rogers, E. Brown, B. Wright, V. Crowley, G. Macdonald, A. Quirk

During 1970, the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) was responsible to the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources (Minister, the Honourable J.J. Greene). By March 1971, responsibility had been transferred to the Honourable Jack Davis, Minister of Fisheries and Forestry and the Minister designate of the proposed Department of the Environment.

In the summer of 1970, the staff of Central Region’s Canadian Hydrographic Service of the Marine Sciences Branch and numbering about 100 members was transferred from Ottawa to the Centre. CHS Central Region had two major responsibilities – 1) to undertake hydrographic charting of navigable waters from the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River to the Saskatchewan-Alberta border and 2) to maintain and operate the fleet of vessels and launches used for hydrographic surveys and for the scientific programs of CCIW.

The charting program of the region was continued in the Lower St. Lawrence River between Cap du Basque and Murray Bay to produce modern nautical charts for the use of commercial deep draught shipping; in the Thousand Islands area for the use of both commercial shipping and recreational boating; and at Lake of the Woods, the Rideau Waterway and Lake of Two Mountains for the primary purpose of producing recreational boating charts in response to public demand. In addition, hydrographic surveys of small fishing harbours were carried out on the eastern shore of Lake Superior and many existing charts in Lake Superior and Lake Huron were revised and updated as part of the revisory cycle. Navigational ranges were surveyed in the Sorel-Quebec City area. A field unit supported the Polar Continental Shelf Project in the Beaufort Sea, by conducting bathymetric "through the ice" surveys over the continental shelf in winter, and a hovercraft survey operation and evaluation in Franklin Bay during the short summer.

Other hydrographic activities included preparation for the International Field Year for The Great Lakes (IFYGL) by establishing sites and survey control for the use of a navigational system covering Lake Ontario, evaluation of "accurate ranging radar" and a new type of pulsing sonar.

A field unit provided survey control and supplied and maintained navigational systems in support of Limnogeology Section programs. The support of this unit also included calibration of the Minifix and Motorola positioning systems and the production of suitable lattice boatboards as necessary.

The development group evaluated the Motorola system and worked on a LORAN C study of Lakes Ontario and Erie in conjunction with HPL Engineering Ltd. of Ottawa. In the field of data processing, the group acquired a PDP 8 computer and a Gerber 22 Plotting Table and now had for the first time, all data processing units under one roof. During 1970 all survey data used or produced by this unit and considerable additional data were processed for other field units.

Four hydrographic survey launches were retired from service, three of them wood displacement hulls. These were replaced by Botved launches, perhaps the most suitable type of sounding launch readily available. A total of seven Botveds were acquired to maintain hydrographic field strength. Construction was started on C.S.L. VEDETTE, a 45 foot revisory survey craft. Construction was considerably delayed and the vessel was not expected to be ready for service until May 1971.

Regional Hydrographer - T.D.W. McCulloch, Secretary L. Ram

Asst. Regional Hydrographer - R.W. Sandilands

Hydrographers-in-Charge

Lower St. Lawrence River - B. Wright

Rideau River and Thousand Islands - R. Golding/R. Courtnage

Lake-of-the-Woods - C. Leadman

Lake of Two Mountains - A. Rogers

Revisory Survey - G. Wade

Navigational Ranges - E. Thompson

Polar Continental Shelf Project - J. O’Shea

Navigational Systems - F.L. Degrasse

CCIW Ground Control - G. Goldsteen

Technical Records - R. Marshall

Hydrographers

K. Barnes, R. Beri, R. Chapeskie, V. Crowley, M. Crutchlow, K. Daeschel, P. Dal Bianco, P. Davies, B. Eidsforth, J-M Gervais, M. Grant, S. Greenner, K. Hipkin, J. Kean, R. Langford, R. Lasnier, G. Macdonald, R. Mahaffy, J. McCarthy, R. Moulton, D. Nesbitt, P. Page, D. Philpotts, H. Pulkinnen, R. Rehbein, P. Richards, R. Robitaille, W. Silvey, R. Treciokas, E. Waugh, J. Weller, A. Welmers, J. Wilson.

Development Group

Head - E. Brown

Technical Staff - E. Lewis, R. Tripe, N. Stuifbergen

Electronics Section

Head - V.S. Bains

Technical Staff - D. Chambers, R. Desilets, J. Lanouette, M. Moore, A. Prud’Homme, D. Pyatt, W. Smith, B. Waldock.

Ships & Launches

Head - A. Quirk

Support - K. Robertson

Transfer was made of nearly all components of CCIW to the Department of the Environment, which was established officially on June 11, 1971.

The far-flung nautical charting activities of CHS Central Region, Marine Sciences Branch continued during 1971, with major field programs in the Beaufort Sea, Ottawa River, Georgian Bay and Lake of the Woods, S. Lawrence River and Playgreen Lake, Manitoba. Central Region staff also assumed responsibility, as part of its revisory survey program, for keeping up-to-date the shoreline land use and erosion surveys initiated by the Department of Public Works for the International Joint Commission studies of the Great Lakes levels controls. These latter surveys and the shoreline charts proved to be valuable to Ontario Conservation Authorities bordering Lake Ontario, many of which had shoreline land use surveys underway.

A CHS chart sales outlet and Marine Information Centre were established at CCIW.

Arctic - The field unit attached to the Polar Continental Shelf Project completed the through-the-ice survey in the Beaufort Sea and carried out sounding and ground control surveys in Nares Strait. A preliminary position was determined for Hans Island, which lies close to the tentative boundary of the territorial seas of Canada and Denmark. Plans were completed for the final determination of the island’s position in 1972 by a joint Canadian-Danish expedition.

Ottawa River - The survey of the Pembroke to Rapides-des-Joachims reach of the Ottawa River was completed. Modern nautical charts could now be produced for the entire stretch of the river between Temiscaming and Montreal.

Georgian Bay - A survey of McGregor Bay was carried out to determine whether the route from Georgian Bay to the eastern side of Cloche Peninsula is navigable by seaway draught ships. The detailed survey established the routes to be used by seaway draught ships and Canada Cement Lafarge Limited proceeded with the development of a new shipping terminal in McGregor Bay.

Lake Huron - A revisory survey was carried out and existing charts of the eastern part of Lake Huron were updated prior to the next navigational season.

Lake of the Woods - The hydrographic survey was continued in 1971 and completion was planned for 1972 so that modern nautical charts would be available for the whole of Lake of the Woods.

St. Lawrence River - Kingston to Gananoque - Surveys required for the production of modern commercial and recreational nautical charts were continued in the Thousands Islands area as far eastward at Gananoque.

- Cornwall to Montreal - Navigational ranges and other fixed aids in this stretch of the seaway were resurveyed.

Manitoba - A hydrographic survey of Playgreen Lake was commenced and would continue until the routes from Lake Winnipeg to Whiskey Jack Portage and Norway House was adequately surveyed. The survey also provided a base from which the effect on navigation of the Nelson River Power Project could be determined.

Quebec – The hydrographic survey of the Lower St. Lawrence River upstream to Ile-aux-Coudres was continued to facilitate production of modern nautical charts for deep draught shipping. Large-scale surveys were also carried out in Quebec Harbour adjacent to new port facilities.

Limnogeology – Two field units established survey control, supplied and maintained navigational systems in support of the limnogeology programs in Lakes Ontario and Erie.

IFYGL – A contract was awarded to Computing Devices of Canada, Ottawa for the rental and operation of a Decca Lambda Survey system to facilitate positioning of survey and research vessels and aircraft engaged in IFYGL (1972) operations on Lake Ontario. Field plotting sheet projections and Decca Lambda lattices were prepared on Central Region’s Gerber 22 plotting table and supplied to CHS Headquarters where the final field sheets were compiled.

Nautical Chart Sales - A CHS Chart Sales outlet for nautical charts, sailing directions and related nautical publications of interest to commercial and recreational mariners was established at CCIW as a part of the CHS Marine Information Centre. Bathymetric charts of the Canadian Arctic, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie were available. As well, the International Joint Commission Shore Property Inventory as maintained by CHS became available through the Marine Information Centre.

Tides, Currents and Water Levels - The Tides, Currents and Water Levels Section were established in July 1971 by the appointment of a regional tidal officer. The prime responsibility of this section was to provide hydrodynamic support, specifically tidal, current and water levels for hydrographic surveys and navigational requirements, while maintaining a strong scientific expertise.

Research and Development - The main efforts were in the areas of data processing and plotting on the Gerber 22. In the area of data processing, modifications were made to the Hypos programs so that Gerber plots could be produced on a stable base material and to ensure that the depth selection program removed redundant data. The Hypos system was again used on the Lower St. Lawrence with position data being transmitted via TWX link and sounding rolls via the mail. The quality of the processed data was vastly superior to that of past years. A shipboard hydrographic acquisition and processing system (HAAPS) was purchased, assembled and field-tested on the St. Lawrence River with very favourable results.

In the area of plotting on the Gerber, programs have been developed to plot lattices (Mini-Fix, Decca, etc.) on UTM and Polyconic projections, UTM grids with geographic graticules and stations, Polyconic projections with stations and Lambert Conformal Projections. The base Polyconic projections, Decca 6F lattices and UTM grids were plotted for the 1972 IFYGL program. The program for plotting UTM grids was one of the most widely requested for field sheets in 1971.

A PDP-8/E was acquired and has been made available to hydrographers. All the programs were documented and several new programs written for survey and positioning system computations. The program library contained 29 Focal and 26 Fortran programs. Further trials were conducted on the Omni-directional Scanning Sonar after modifications by the manufacturer. During the year, Hydrodist Digital Display Systems were designed, purchased, tested and put into operational use on hydrographic surveys. The use of these units results in a considerable increase in production operations.

The revisory survey launch VEDETTE was delivered by the builder in May and after experiencing some teething problems worked successfully in Georgian Bay.

Regional Hydrographer - T.D.W. McCulloch, Secretary Miss L. Ram

Asst. Regional Hydrographer - H.R. Blandford, Secretary Mrs. E. Gervais

Hydrographers-in-Charge

Lower St. Lawrence River - B. Wright

Thousand Islands - R. Courtnage

Lake-of-the-Woods - E. Thompson

Upper Ottawa River - A. Rogers

Navigational Ranges - N. Stuifbergen

Playgreen Lake - J.V. Crowley

Polar Continental Shelf Project - G. Wade

Navigational Systems - F.L. Degrasse

Revisory and Georgian Bay - R. Marshall

Revisory - G. Macdonald

Marine Information Centre - M. Grant

Hydrographers

R. Beri, M. Casey, R. Chapeskie, M. Crutchlow, K. Daeschel, P. Dal Bianco, P. Davies, W. Doering, B. Eidsforth, G. Goldsteen, K. Hipkin, J. Kean, D. Kelly, R. Langford, C Leadman, R. MacDougall, R. Mahaffy, H. Marshall, J. McCarthy, J. Medendorp, R. Moulton, I. Norman, P. Page, D. Philpotts, H. Pulkinnen, R. Rehbein, P. Richards, R. Robitaille, J. Statham, R. Treciokas, J. Weller, A. Welmers, J. Wilson.

Development Group

Head - E. Brown

Technical Staff - E. Lewis, R. Tripe, W. Silvey

Electronics Section

Head - E. Lewis

Technical Staff - D. Chambers, L. Deavu, R. Desilets, T. Dyas, G. Kavanagh, P. Millette, M. Moore, A. Prud’Homme, D. Pyatt, W. Smith, M. Van Gendt, B. Waldock.

Tides, Currents & Water Levels

Head - N. Freeman

Shore Property Studies

Head - W. Harris

Technical Staff - J. Shaw

Ships & Launches

Head - A. Quirk

Engineering Superintendent - A. Hughes

General Foreman - K. Robertson

Nineteen seventy-two was an eventful year for CHS Central Region, Marine Sciences Directorate. For the first time, in response to urgent requests, the region mounted a major hydrographic survey in James Bay. This major move into the salt water was closely allied to an oceanographic study conducted by the regional organization.

A successful exchange of staff took place between the Lake Survey Center, NOAA, Detroit and the CHS of Central Region. It will be repeated and perhaps expanded in 1973.

A hydrographic survey of a portion of Georgian Bay was contracted out, a first for the region and for CHS nationally. Were the survey results up to CHS standards, it could mean the gradual development of a competent hydrographic industry - a requirement desirable from two stands. First, hydrographic surveying of Canadian waters could be mainly completed within a reasonable time frame without contemplating massive expansion of the CHS and second, a new viable secondary industry would be created in Canada.

Our most northerly survey party was engaged in an international project in Nares Strait between Danish and Canadian territory. The positioning of Hans Island, one of the assignments of this survey party had considerable significance in the race to establish sovereignty over the submerged land in the Strait.

The HAAPS system got a thorough and successful field test during the bathymetric survey of Lake Ontario, IFYGL Project 79F and was completed in the late fall of 1972.

A new high-speed cutter, CSS ADVENT came on regional strength in the dying days of 1972.

A new departmental organization was announced in December 1972 which promises to affect the development of CCIW programs in 1973. The Marine Sciences Directorate became part of the Fisheries and Marine Service.

The 1972 field programme was carried out by 50 hydrographic surveyors, 8 electronics technicians and 130 ship’s crew. During the season, use was made of 3 survey ships, 26 survey launches and 23 major survey craft as well as one floating electro-mechanical workshop. Six office trailers and 13 boat trailers were used. Two helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft were used periodically. Total helicopter flying time was 1342 hours and the total fixed-wing flying time amounted to 277 hours. Shore-based operations also required the use of 18 motor vehicles.

Field projects were conducted in Nares Strait, Norwegian Bay, Jones Sound and Amundsen Gulf in the Arctic; in James and Hudson Bays; Playgreen Lake; Lake of the Woods; Georgian Bay; Lake Ontario; Lake Erie; St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston as well as the Lower St. Lawrence River below Quebec City.

The resurvey of navigational ranges, which commenced in 1969, was continued in 1972 and by the end of the 1972 field season a total of 99 sets of navigational ranges had been surveyed between Quebec City and Kingston. In the same area a total of 48 fixed navigational lights had been repositioned. Remaining to be surveyed were 82 ranges and 342 fixed lights in the Great Lakes.

The systematic Revisory Survey required to maintain existing charts up-to-date was continued and all charts of Lakes Ontario and Erie were field examined during 1972. Data for the Shore Properties was collected as part of the ongoing survey project.

During the year the Tides and Water Levels Section was strengthened in preparation for 1973 field programmes. In addition to its normal functions related to navigational matters the Section undertook the co-ordination of an Oceanographic Program in James Bay which was carried out by the hydrographic survey party operating from CCGS NARWHAL in co-operation with the Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory.

1972 saw the initiation of a technical exchange program of one CHS staff with one surveyor from the Lakes Survey Center of NOAA Detroit. This exchange demonstrated beyond a doubt the value of such a program.

On the International scene a joint Canadian-Danish team worked in the Nares Strait area and determined geographic co-ordinates for Hans Island. This joint program was carried out because of the close proximity of the island to the limits of Canadian and Danish territorial seas.

Launch support was provided to shore based hydrographic parties scattered over a distance of some two thousand miles east to west from the Lower St. Lawrence River to Lake Winnipeg and north to James Bay via Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

An increase in the launch fleet included four Mon Ark craft for Playgreen Lake.

The James Bay project proved to be a challenge. Originally it was proposed to use four Bertram launches operating from CCGS NARWHAL. Two of these were gasoline powered and two just recently converted to diesel power. A rather sudden embargo on ship-borne gasoline storage cancelled out the use of the gasoline launches and the only available substitute was a 36-foot steel launch, which proved to be the most suitable for James Bay sea conditions.

The major acquisition was a 77-foot all aluminum vessel CSS ADVENT. It was basically a day boat with limited sleeping accommodation, high speed, 22 knots, to enable her to reach the work area with a minimum loss of operational time.

Regional Hydrographer - T.D.W. McCulloch, Secretary Miss L. Ram

Asst. Regional Hydrographer - H.R. Blandford, Secretary Mrs. R. Mikoda

Hydrographers-in-Charge

Lower St. Lawrence River - R. Marshall

James Bay - B. Wright

Lake-of-the-Woods - V. Crowley

Navigational Ranges - R. Courtnage

Playgreen Lake - R. Lewis

Polar Continental Shelf Project - G. Wade

Navigational Systems, IFYGL - F.L. Degrasse

Revisory - G. Macdonald

Hydrographers

R. Beri, M. Casey, R. Chapeskie, I. Charron, M. Crutchlow, K. Daeschel, P. Dal Bianco, P. Davies, B. Eidsforth, J-M Gervais, G. Goldsteen, C. Gorski, M. Grant, K. Hipkin, J. Kean, D. Kimmett, R. Langford, R. Lasnier, C Leadman, R. MacDougall, H. Marshall, J. McCarthy, J. Medendorp, R. Moulton, L. Muir, I. Norman, P. Page, H. Pulkinnen, T. Pullen, R. Rehbein, P. Richards, R. Robitaille, W. Silvey, R. Solvason, R. Treciokas, J. Weller, A. Welmers.

Development Group

Head - E. Brown

Technical Staff - R. Tripe, R. Bryant, C. Doekes, E. Thompson, R. Preston

Electronics Section

Head - E. Lewis

Technical Staff - R. Desilets, T. Dyas, G. Kavanagh, P. Millette, M. Moore, A. Prud’Homme, D. Pyatt, W. Smith, M. Van Gendt, B. Waldock.

Tides, Currents & Water Levels

Head - N. Freeman

Technical Staff - J. Wilson, L. Barfoot

Marine Information Centre and Local Surveys

Head - A. Rogers

Technical Staff - R. Mahaffy, R. McMicking

U.S. Exchange Program

To US Lake Survey - P. Richards

From US Lake Survey - W. Bergen

Shore Property Studies and IJC Inventory

Head - W. Harris

Technical Staff - J. Shaw

Ships & Launches

Head - A. Quirk

Engineering Superintendent - A. Hughes

Shore Boatswain - W. Corkum

Shop Foreman - K. Robertson

(To be continued)